Blizzard Entertainment and Facebook Team up to Connect Friends and Empower Streamers

Blizzard has issued a press statement that Blizzard and Facebook are teaming up. This partnership will include Facebook login for all Blizzard games, as well as incorporating Facebook's Live API for streaming functionality. While these changes will affect WoW, the article strongly emphasizes Overwatch, Blizzard's newest game with over 7 million players. These features will be completely optional as well for players.\r\rThis partnership shouldn't be surprising, as Blizzard added in-game Twitter functionality in Patch 6.1. Will you be using Facebook to log in or stream?\r\r\rBlizzard games are best when played with friends, and new Facebook integration features such as Facebook Login and Live API will make that easier than ever.\r\rFacebook\u2019s collaboration with Blizzard reflects the global social network\u2019s commitment to supporting world-class entertainment experiences\r\rBlizzard Entertainment and Facebook are working together to provide gamers around the world with new ways to connect and share their gaming experiences, while bringing more high-demand entertainment content to Facebook\u2019s global platform.\r\r\u201cBlizzard has a passionate community of players, and an incredible track record for launching innovative and high-quality gaming experiences\u201d\r\rThe companies announced today that a major step in their ongoing collaboration will begin later this month with the integration of Facebook Login in Blizzard\u2019s PC games. This will enable players to sign up for and log in to games such as World of Warcraft\u00ae, Heroes of the Storm\u00ae, Hearthstone\u00ae, Diablo\u00ae III, StarCraft\u00ae II, and Blizzard\u2019s most recent blockbuster release, Overwatch\u00ae, using their Facebook accounts.\r\rAdding Facebook Login will pave the way for new social functionality in Blizzard games while highlighting Facebook\u2019s capabilities as a platform for sharing, viewing, and discussing AAA game content. As an example, Blizzard is in the process of incorporating Facebook\u2019s Live API in order to create its own \u201cGo Live\u201d streaming functionality for its games. When this functionality is implemented, players will for the first time be able to livestream their Blizzard-gaming sessions directly to their Facebook timelines, and friends will be able to subscribe and be notified when new streams are available.\r\r\u201cBlizzard games are best when played with friends, so it\u2019s important to us to provide our players with features and services that make it easy and fun to share their experiences with each other,\u201d said Gio Hunt, executive vice president of corporate operations at Blizzard Entertainment. \u201cWe\u2019re working closely with Facebook on this integration for Overwatch, as well as our other games, and we look forward to sharing further details on our plans as development progresses.\u201d\r\rAs part of the collaboration between the two companies, Blizzard recently hosted multiple livestreams via Facebook. The first series of streams centered on Heroes of the Dorm\u2122, Blizzard\u2019s collegiate tournament featuring its popular team-brawler Heroes of the Storm. Last week, Blizzard hosted a livestreamed launch event for Overwatch on Facebook.\r\r\u201cBlizzard has a passionate community of players, and an incredible track record for launching innovative and high-quality gaming experiences,\u201d said Leo Olebe, global games partnerships director at Facebook. \u201cOur collaboration on Overwatch demonstrates Facebook\u2019s commitment to partnering with AAA game companies, while further empowering Blizzard gamers to connect and share the content they\u2019re most passionate about with the friends they play with around the world.\u201d\r\rIn preparation for the Overwatch launch, Facebook worked with Blizzard on a comprehensive mix of Facebook and Instagram marketing solutions\u2014including Carousel ads, Canvas, and Instagram Marquee. Using the platforms\u2019 powerful targeting capabilities, Facebook helped Blizzard present the game to a broad set of gaming and entertainment audiences within Facebook\u2019s and Instagram\u2019s global audiences of 1.65 billion and 400 million people respectively. On Facebook, more than 650 million people play games connected to Facebook every month across web, mobile, and console.\r\rOverwatch is a dynamic team-based shooter in which players choose from a cast of 21 diverse heroes\u2014each with their own unique arsenal of extraordinary weapons and incredible abilities\u2014and battle to complete objectives in various locations across a near-future earth. The game is available now for PlayStation\u00ae4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and Windows\u00ae PC in English, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, European Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Russian, Korean (PC only), Japanese (PC and PS4\u2122 system only), and traditional and simplified Chinese (PC only). The game has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB.\r\rFor more information about Overwatch, visit the official website. For screenshots, videos, and other media, visit Blizzard\u2019s press site at blizzard.gamespress.com\/overwatch.

Commentaire de Filipse

Commentaire de perculia

To be fair, the focus in this article is on Overwatch--this is something coming to all Blizzard games, it's not something the WoW development team would be creating.

Commentaire de actuallyAatu

on 2016-06-06T10:24:17-05:00

Ugh.\r\rJust.... ugh.

Commentaire de Filipse

on 2016-06-06T10:24:22-05:00

To be fair, the focus in this article is on Overwatch--this is something coming to all Blizzard games, it's not something the WoW development team would be creating.

Doesnt realy change that it's kinda like spitting people in the face and repeating the past, blizzard probatly should get a Public-Relations department at this rate, as it does seem like they're not all too great at knowing how to communicate with their customer-base.

Facebook as a social-platform is generaly usualy unbiased, but there are cases where censorship from governmental aspects occurs, which makes the decision questionable as to wheter this will mean blizzard will be able to remove critique or such, Steam or Twitch would have been far better choice, as they're more gamer-oriented.

Commentaire de Weria

on 2016-06-06T10:25:53-05:00

No, just no :(

Commentaire de YoshiAyarane

on 2016-06-06T10:30:39-05:00

Speaking just about WoW here, I would assume that in-game it will behave similar to the Twitter integration in that it is something you have to opt-in to and is ENTIRELY OPTIONAL. You know, in case the tiny-but-super-vocal minority of detractors were thinking about losing their heads over it. (Which they will probably do anyway. \/facepalm) \r\rMaybe the Twitter integration will get reworked to a more generalized "Social Media Integration" where you can choose to post to FB, Twitter or both. HM.\r\rI would also imagine this could be happening during the pre-patch. "But, but, why roll this out soon-ish than at Legion launch?" Welp, it would be more prudent to roll it out while the stakes are still rather low and allow those who want to use it to get accustomed to it (and iron out the inevitable bugs that will ensue). That way, by the time Legion actually launches, you won't be overwhelmed by FB integration on top of all the new stuff and "oh hey, I'll just stream while I'm leveling" (or later, "I'm streaming our guild's raid, watch us wipe and maybe kill some bosses") will be easier if you can just let FB do it for you, because not everyone can\/wants to deal with setting up OBS\/Xsplit\/etc to send to Twitch and uploading the archived copy to Youtube and all that stuff.\r\rThink of the potential use scenarios for FB streaming. Like, if your guild has a FB page and you wanted to capture a raid session for reviewing performance alongside logs (or so others who couldn't attend could watch after the fact). It's going to be way easier to do that.\r\rSay what you will about FB's policies (they aren't the best in the world, I'll agree on that), but I am personally okay with the integration and curious to see how it's used.

Commentaire de avainer

on 2016-06-06T10:32:02-05:00

yes! facebook integration<3 maybe we get a snapchat like ingame toy as well :D

Commentaire de perculia

on 2016-06-06T10:32:27-05:00

To be fair, the focus in this article is on Overwatch--this is something coming to all Blizzard games, it's not something the WoW development team would be creating.\r\rDoesnt realy change that it's kinda like spitting people in the face and repeating the past, blizzard probatly should get a Public-Relations department at this rate, as it does seem like they're not all too great at knowing how to communicate with their customer-base.\r\rFacebook as a social-platform is generaly usualy unbiased, but there are cases where censorship from governmental aspects occurs, which makes the decision questionable as to wheter this will mean blizzard will be able to remove critique or such, Steam or Twitch would have been far better choice, as they're more gamer-oriented.\r\rSure, they should get more PR involved...and announcing this the day of the Warcraft movie Hollywood event seems weird via generic press article, I doubt they want people focusing on this instead of the movie livestream.

Commentaire de save3idiots

on 2016-06-06T10:36:00-05:00

No, no no. Does this mean Blizzard is now sharing information like our email addresses with Facebook? Sharing email addresses leads to you being connected to any idiot who has shared their contacts with FB and the triangulations FB makes are frightening. I don't do FB at all for that reason. Don't even use the same email I subscribed with back then. They are indeed evil. Zuckerberg said we were suckers for giving him our information, and he was right.

Commentaire de Nazthori

on 2016-06-06T10:40:31-05:00

Ugh. No thanks. Facebook is entirely gross.

Commentaire de inkdrgn

on 2016-06-06T10:42:31-05:00

yes yes let's integrate with the only site with more archaic real name policy then blizzard itself.\r\rI can only be grateful that it isn't a requirement for login, since I neither have a facebook nor can I get one without sending in 3-5 different pieces of documentation proving my name is real.

Commentaire de mikeyrandell

on 2016-06-06T10:43:08-05:00

As long as this isn't forced upon us, I guess I don't really care. If I have to log in to facebook to play a game, I'll lose my !@#$.

Commentaire de Malevaria

on 2016-06-06T10:53:05-05:00

To be fair, the focus in this article is on Overwatch--this is something coming to all Blizzard games, it's not something the WoW development team would be creating.\r\rDoesnt realy change that it's kinda like spitting people in the face and repeating the past, blizzard probatly should get a Public-Relations department at this rate, as it does seem like they're not all too great at knowing how to communicate with their customer-base.\r\rFacebook as a social-platform is generaly usualy unbiased, but there are cases where censorship from governmental aspects occurs, which makes the decision questionable as to wheter this will mean blizzard will be able to remove critique or such, Steam or Twitch would have been far better choice, as they're more gamer-oriented.\r\rSure, they should get more PR involved...and announcing this the day of the Warcraft movie Hollywood event seems weird via generic press article, I doubt they want people focusing on this instead of the movie livestream.\r\rHow about putting more game in the game and less crap? this would be my opinion... no one ask for the camera and yet we got that ... no one is asking for facebook log ins and yet we are getting it.. \r\rWe do however ask for a whole host of other things that actually do have something ot do with actual gaming and the game itself which does fall on deaf ears... \r\rBlizzard REally needs to get their head out of their rear end and stop forcing us into stuff we don't want and start paying attention to stuff we do.